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...First-week final exam - One of the more controversial methods of measuring student learning is to have students take the final exam during the first week in class, but don't grade them on it. At the end of the semester give them that same exam again and compare the results. While letting students see their final exam makes some faculty nervous, Nilson says most students won't remember any of the questions, and if they do what's the harm? It will simply help them focus in on what you feel is important for them to know.

Before ... and after learning ...

"My first suggestion is to start where the bottlenecks in the discipline are," he said. "What topics in your course are harder for the students? Why is that? Are students lacking requisite prior knowledge? Do they need more practice of certain basic skills? Do they bring misconceptions to the table? If you don't know, collect some data. Once you get a handle on the reasons why, start bridging those gaps with appropriate interventions. Work incrementally. Get comfortable with a few changes in your teaching first, and then expand to others, until you reach a tipping point. …